Thursday 18 June 2015 16:03, UK
Defending champion Ana Ivanovic crashed out of the Aegon Classic in the second round after an upset defeat by qualifier Michelle Larcher De Brito.
The Serbian second seed conceded the match with a dismal double fault, bowing out of the competition 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8-6) to a Portuguese player ranked 128 places lower in the WTA rankings.
De Brito, who is best known for knocking Maria Sharapova out in the second round of Wimbledon two years ago, had already played two matches on grass and unleashed a string of fierce ground strokes.
But Ivanovic appeared to have regained command when she broke serve early in the final set and attempted to close the match out at 5-4.
With her back against the wall, De Brito broke back in determined fashion and clinched match point at the third opportunity when Ivanovic blundered with her serve.
Eugenie Bouchard, last year's losing finalist at Wimbledon, also departed the competition after a 6-3 4-6 6-0 defeat by Kristina Mladenovic.
"I felt very frustrated," said Bouchard. "But they told us that if we smack our rackets on the court we would get a huge fine - so perhaps that's why I kept my cool."
